The school system in Milford has reversed its cancellation of the annual Halloween costume parades at the city's elementary schools following an outcry from parents.

Superintendent Elizabeth Feser wrote in a letter Monday that the controversy over the parade was becoming a distraction.

She said the goal in canceling the parades in the schools had been to create a substitute Halloween celebration for families that would be inclusive of all children, including those who might not take part in the parade for religious or cultural reasons.

An online petition had been started, asking the school district to restore the parades.

Victoria Johannsen, mother of a third-grader at Live Oaks School, told the Connecticut Post the decision to cancel wasn't fair to students who cherish the parade.